Tucson Speaks Out: August 24

Iran

Amazingly, Republicans have sold the same and fake story about our alleged enemies across the world since the 1950s, and this with great success for the military-industrial complex in the US. The latest iteration: Iran as a presumed threat to the West. We heard the same false story regarding Iraq, which then justified a protracted war that was ultimately a disaster for both sides. The narratives in the past (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc.) were slightly different, but basically the same, thinly hiding a neo-colonialist approach promoted by US corporations that stood to gain billions of dollars from the American tax coffers. Ok, let’s assume that Iran is working on a nuclear bomb, but why would they do that? Simple: to defend themselves against the Israeli nuclear threat. Agreed, the Iranian regime is horrible, but unless we concretely help the people there, we have no business fighting this new war. At this point, tragically, no gains, no successes, and massive American losses in lives, money, respect, and weapons.

Albrecht Classen

Midtown

Vote in your interest

If you have always voted Republican or consider yourself conservative, it's time to vote in your own best interest. Do you think public lands should be sold? Republicans do. Are you OK with national parks being understaffed and normal maintenance not being maintained? Are you OK with rural hospitals closing? With mail-in voting being banned? Republicans are. Are you OK with our underfunded public schools? Where do your kids go to school? Now money diverted out of public schools to wealthy families through vouchers? Republicans are. Is it OK that the President has made a billion dollars in two years in office? On in̈side trading? Happy with your cost of Healthcare? The price of gas? Pardoning then paying the Capitol insurrectionists? That Republicans raise the deficit as much as Democrats? Republicans are. These Republicans are not conservative or working for you. Vote accordingly.

William Garrity

Foothills

Ending the war with Iran

Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement (JCPOA) (while Obama was President), Iran agreed to constrain its nuclear program "that could lead to the production of weapons-grade uranium". Then in 2018, the first Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the JCPOA. Under the second (and current) Trump administration, America starts a war with Iran and now says that Iran must curtail its nuclear program in order to have America agree to an end to the war. How are we going to end this war as long as Trump keeps changing his mind?

Alan Roehl, P.E.

Green Valley

Trumpian heroics

President Trump has asserted that the recent subterfuge involving his being surreptitiously whisked off of Air Force One and onto a less conspicuous transport in response to a perceived threat of attack had actually attracted greater danger to himself, “because that would be the plane, I think, that they would be more likely to go for." His unsuspecting entourage, it seems, who otherwise appeared to have been left behind as decoys, were in fact spared this jeopardy by Trump’s magnanimous sacrifice, since those targeting the president would naturally choose to fire on an auxiliary vehicle instead of the big glaring obvious first choice.

So, it would appear that Trump’s ignominious skulking in a catering container like some miscellaneous cargo was in fact a heroic deed, intended not to abandon his unwitting traveling companions to fend for themselves as has been claimed, but rather to draw fire, should there be any, away from those undeserving potential victims. What a guy! Yet another exemplary demonstration of his renowned selflessness.

Robert Gavlak

Midtown

Rising health insurance costs

We are already seeing the impact of the ACA cuts on our health care system, with more people using emergency rooms as they lose access to physicians. We will soon see the impact of Medicaid cuts. What has been less reported is the fact that the cuts will also affect the private health insurance market. As a small business owner, I recently got a quote from my health insurance company, which showed a 95% increase in rates. This is unsustainable for a small business, requiring me to opt for a plan with much less coverage, pushing increasing costs on my employees. These cuts, as part of HR1 passed in the early days of the Trump administration, were supported by my representative, Rep Ciscomani, to pay for tax breaks for the very wealthy. I doubt my employees see this as fair. Rep. Ciscomani, are you listening?

Felice Anderson

Northwest side